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It couldn't get any better could it? Chocolate, especially dark chocolate could boost your brain power.

Cognitive psychologist Terry Horne and biochemist Simon Wootton, the co-authors of Teach Yourself Training Your Brain for the Over 50s [Amazon Affiliate Link], argue that lifestyle choices are crucial for keeping you in tip-top mental condition.

The authors say "Lifestyle can boost your brain power - what your lifestyle does is help to create the chemical conditions in your brain."

Creativity and Humour often go hand in hand as this children's book demonstrates.

"101 Things You Wished You'd Invented and some you wished no one had" will challenge your creativity, and prod hard at your funny-bone!

The book challenges you to put other people's 'clever' inventions to good use. Just tackling a few of the items in this book will exercise brain cells and refine thinking skills. What about the banana suitcase? Or, the real reason why Alfred Nobel established a peace prize...

101 Things You Wish You'd Invented... [Amazon Associate Link]

Photo courtesy of lutherblissett

It may sound a little trite, but that doesn't stop it being true... if the environment around you is 'messy', you will find it harder to concentrate. The business belief that an untidy desk signals an untidy mind, has some basis in fact - although, of course, there is no way to identify which came first!

It could be your office desk, the dining table, kitchen surface, windowsill... wherever; if you have a little corner (or a whole house) of clutter developing, then attacking that debris is a wonderful way of giving yourself a lift.

Yes, there is an amazingly positive feeling that a clear table/kitchen draw (etc...) can bring. It is such a simple thing to do.

Here are the basic (time-tested) steps for clearing and simplifying.

There seems to be new evidence that Vitamin B12 (which is mainly found in milk, meat and fish) may help to prevent memory loss in old age. The University of Oxford study tested 107 volunteers over a five-year period. Their findings suggest that older people, with lower than average vitamin B12 levels, could be more than six times more likely to suffer memory loss.

Professor David Smith, who directs the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing, said: "This study adds another dimension to our understanding of the effects of B vitamins on the brain; the rate of shrinkage of the brain as we age may be partly influenced by what we eat."

In conclusion, the report suggests that consuming more vitamin B12 by eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk (as part of a balanced diet) could help protect the brain. Liver and shellfish are particularly rich in vitamin B12.

I have a bit of a problem with hydration...

Not the importance of it, or the need for it (it seems to be a recognised fact that the body needs plenty of fluids to operate properly. No, the problem I have is this 'modern' habit of constantly suckling from a bottle. When did the body become so poor at maintaining optimum hydration that it became necessary to glug back copious amounts of water just to hold a conversation. Some people even quench their thirst during a conversation.

For me, the sight of a bottle of water semi-permanently fixed to someone's lips is akin to that awful 'talking and chewing-gum' syndrom. It's just plain rude; rude and unnecessary.

Anyhow, if experts have it right (and that's never a certainty), that ubiquitous water-bottle should be replaced by a tea-pot.

Researchers at Kings College London didn't want water to be seen as the only fluid capable of hydrating a body. So, after considering numerous studies on the benefits of drinking tea, they've concluded that tea is a superior drink.

Irontree Software
This is a brand new (September 2008), downloadable piece of software designed and built by your very own Irontree team.

The program is a 'memory practice engine', for those who already use memory techniques, and wish to increase their efficiency. It is primarily aimed at professional magicians, corporate entertainers or memory experts. However, anyone with an interest in memory techniques can use the software to help them develop their 'grey cells'.

Get the full details here: 20-20 Memory Software

You can create mnemonic devices to help you remember anything. They are particularly effective if you utilise all of your senses, simply repeating the mnemonic is often not enough, you really have to see, feel, hear and (yes, even) smell it!

Here's an example taken from geography. Imagine you need to recall 20 Countries and their capital cities. A good strategy would be to create a memorable image that connects the name of the capital city to the Country. For example:

The capital of Australia is Canberra. Australia has a unique and memorable image already associated with it; the Sydney Opera House. So, link the image of the Opera house to an image that will remind you of Canberra. How about imagining the Sydney Opera house covered in cranberry (Canberra) juice. It's a red sticky mess, people leaving the building find the juice dripping in their hair and covering their clothes. See it, hear it, smell it, feel it.

Now stop! Forget the image...

iFlipr has brought the world of Flashcards into the 21st Century

If you have an iPhone, or iPod Touch, this amazing little tool puts learning in the palm of your hand (or on a desktop computer, if you prefer). Check out the iFlipr introductory video:

If you are practising the Peg word (mnemonic), you will be pleased to hear that Irontree have just developed a useful series of 100 Flashcards to aid you. Naturally, we have used iFlipr, you can see the Flashcards here: 100 Peg Words

Quite frankly, we love this software so much, we will be using it to add further 'memory training' tools. So, watch this space!

iFlipr Home

Central News interviewed Ben Pridmore on the 20th of July, 2007, at that time Ben memorised a deck of cards in 30 seconds and briefly discussed memory competitions.

You can see more of Ben's records at: Memory Sports Statistics